While citizens and hospital personnel alike wait for a decision from Gov. Steve Beshear on whether to allow the proposed merger among Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's HealthCare – the parent of Jewish Hospital Shelbyville – University Hospital in Louisville and Lexington-based St. Joseph Health System, which is owned by Catholic Health Initiatives of Denver, much of the debate has surrounded the changes that would occur at UofL’s hospital.

Who we are: Don Kircher, owner of Mr. Electric, has 30 years of electrical experience. Along with the Shelby County branch of Mr. Electric, he also owns a franchise in Charlotte, N.C. Mr. Electric has franchises throughout the United States and Canada.

After dipping on Tuesday and Wednesday morning to as low as $2.95, the prices sprang significantly higher again Wednesday afternoon.

Speedway, known to set the bar in local markets, raised its per-gallon price for regular unleaded gasoline to $3.39 just after noon, and within an hour most other stations along Midland Trail had moved near that price, basically a 40-cent-per-gallon swing.

It is the season of hustle and bustle. So much to do and so little time to get everything done: Gifts to buy, meals to prepare, travel to relatives, parties to attend, special religious services to observe, just to mention a few – things that, literally, wear us out.

There never seems to be enough time. The clock keeps ticking and the present quickly fades into the past. “Hurry sickness” takes root. Nerves are on edge. Fatigue overwhelms us. We eat too much and don’t get enough sleep.

William “Bill” Jennings retires after 42 years on top of the hill. Jennings started working with the fertilizer plant, Gro-Green in 1969. Before Jennings retired in November from Crop Production Services, the fertilizer plant had changed ownership five times: Gro-Green, 1969-1980; 4th Street, 1981-1984; Cargill, 1985-1998; Miles Farm Center, 1999-2010; and recently, Crop Production Services. Jennings, along with his family, was recognized recently at Claudia Sanders Dinner House for a reception.

Kentucky’s seasonally adjusted preliminary unemployment rate fell to 9.4 percent in November 2011 from 9.6 percent in October 2011, according to the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet.
The preliminary November 2011 jobless rate was .8 of a percentage point below the 10.2 percent rate recorded for the state in November 2010. The state’s November 2011 rate is the lowest since the January 2009 rate of 9.2 percent.

Debating the merits of various Christmas tree offerings is a time-honored holiday tradition. At the core of the squabble is a simple question: live or artificial?

Artificial trees made a giant push into the national market in the pre-recession year of 2007, with 17.4 million units sold, representing more than a one-third share, according to the National Christmas Tree Association.

The convenience store business in Shelby County continues to pump and go.

Circle K, an international chain, this week put up its big K for the first time in Shelby, marking the latest in as series of changes that have occurred since Chevron pulled its brands out of Kentucky last year.